Collegeville businesses donate meals to families

Jimmy Napier, left, Robin and “Phamous Phil” Schmidt pose in front of the Phamous Phil’s BBQ & Grille trailer during a community event in this file photo. The Collegeville restaurant recently donated food for a meal to six needy families. (Mercury file photo)

COLLEGEVILLE — Two local businesses are embracing the spirit of giving after donating meals to six families in the township.

Phil Schmidt Jr. and his wife Robin, co-owners of Phamous Phil’s BBQ, 3839 Germantown Pike, said donating to national charities is admirable, but there are families down the street who need help, too.

Schmidt partnered with Aprille Cole, the owner of Cups N Cakes bakery, 50 West Third Ave., to give families a warm meal for the holiday.

He said the stark reality of the township’s situation hit him hard when he arrived at a local shelter to donate a few of the meals.

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“There were people in there that were actually shopping and they go by a points system. Depending on how many kids you have, you can get two meats a month or a dozen eggs a month,” Schmidt said. “I didn’t know there were needy families like that so close to us.”

“I was floored,” Cole said about how she felt after realizing the amount of need in her community. “I had no idea.”

Cole said she usually donates her leftover cupcakes to a Norristown food bank or she gives them to her husband, who is a police officer who works nights.

But now, she says, she will donate to shelters in Collegeville when she can.

Being able to provide meals for needy families resonated with Cole.

“It makes me feel good because I was one of those people who needed food one year to feed my daughter,” Cole said. “People helped me out. It is very important for me to do that because I live here.”

Cole said it is important for her to give back so that her children learn to give back, too.

Robin Schmidt said she and her husband reached out to local churches and food banks to see if there were any local families who needed a home-cooked meal for the holidays.

Despite the lower than expected response, the chefs whipped up meals that could serve a large family.

The Schmidts donated smoked hams, mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots. Cole made chocolate Yule Logs with handmade edible poinsettias. Each one of Cole’s cakes can serve between 25 and 30 people. Schmidt said his hams can serve close to 10 people.

One of the families receiving a donated meal touched Cole and the Schmidts deeply. A woman named Sarah, whose name has been changed, is a single-mother battling cancer. Cole fought back tears when she talked about Sarah.

“Santa Claus came here and we collected donations,” Cole said. “It is a very quiet situation. It kills me. We have just banded together and started doing fundraising.”

Cole said she does not know what kind of cancer Sarah has, but that it is very aggressive.

For Schmidt, he just wanted to give and it did not have to be to people he knew.

He will not have any contact with the families except to drop off the meals.

But for these two small businesses, giving away their product means taking a hit financially.

“For bigger chains, donating is pennies to a dollar for them. But for us, those pennies are actually dollars,” he said. “I know there are a lot of families out there that are a lot worse off than we are.”

According to Schmidt, even though the dollars add up, it does not diminish the feeling he got from being able to make someone’s holiday better.

“We just wanted to give back to the community,” Phil Schmidt said.

Cole emphasized that the person in need could be the person you never expect.

“People have blinders to what is going on around them,” Cole said. “A person in need could be the person behind you in the grocery store and by buying her gallon of milk, she may be able to buy gas.”

But by giving back, the small business owners are able to put their situations into perspective.

“Knowing that there are other people out there that need it more than us, it made me feel like our lives were a little bit better,” Robin Schmidt said. “It is humbling. Very humbling,”

About the Author

Caroline Sweeney formerly worked as the police reporter for the Pottstown Mercury. She is no longer on staff. If you wish to contact anyone at The Mercury about her stories, please call our main number at 610-323-3000 and ask for the editorial department. Reach the author at csweeney@pottsmerc.com
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